Exoskeleton Hybrid

Hybrid Exoskeleton Maximizing Sunlight

Foster + Partners is famous for its exoskeleton designs. Think of the Gherkin in London, England, an iconic development in the capital’s skyline. The vision for The One took a similar approach. Create a super structure in which the support for the building is mainly on the exterior, allowing for interiors that maximize exposure to the sunlight.

Think of a nautilus shell, for example. They all have a shell – an external skeleton – that supports and protects the animal’s body. The inside is not filled with bones or support structures.

The One went through nearly 50 iterations as the design team worked through possibilities of cladding, shape, height and structural engineering solutions. Each one was 3-D printed in miniature so the team could further test and examine its merits. The final design was for a super tower of 85 storeys and 306.3 meters (1005 feet) making it the tallest building in Canada, second only in height to the CN Tower, which is classified differently as free-standing tower. With super columns on the exterior, and trusses of bronze metallic material, the interiors are able to showcase wide expanses of glass.

Unlike any other tower or building in Canada, there will be corners in the structure where two sheets of glass meet, providing a panorama of views across the city to Lake Ontario.

The material for the exterior structures was carefully chosen as a golden bronze metallic substance that will withstand the Canadian climate and look like jewelry, glinting in the sunshine as it encases the skin of glass.